Care providers (e.g., nurses, nurses aides, and family members) in private homes, hospitals, and extended care facilities are faced with the task of repeatedly moving heavy, debilitated patients from their beds to their wheelchairs or to a bathroom commode and back again. If there are enough aides available, it is possible to lift the patient manually and move the patient from one location to another. However, when there is an insufficient number of persons available to assist, it is possible that someone could become injured while attempting to move the patient.
Patients, especially debilitated elderly patients, must be moved frequently during the day to meet their basic needs. This can amount to 6 to 12 or more times per day. Debilitated patients cannot be left in bed for long periods of time without suffering the adverse effects of bed rest (i.e., bed sores, contractures, congestive heart failure, orthostatic hypotension, etc.).
The average hospital bed is 261/2 inches high, the average chair or wheelchair is 18 inches high. For a 110 pound assistant to move a 180 pound dependent person from a wheelchair to bed is a formidable task often leading to strain or injury for both patient and helper as well as increased medical costs.
A further problem is that with respect to hospitals and nursing homes the workers are rushed because the facilities are often under-staffed, and the workers may have received only minimal training and are afraid to use, or are unwilling to use, complicated or cumber some transfer devices. Thus, the potential exists for the worker or patient, or both, to become injured during transfer of the patient.
Although there are complicated and expensive systems available for moving severely paralyzed patients (e.g., paraplegic, quadriplegic, etc.), such systems may not be practical or efficient for use in transporting less disable patients. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,863 there is described apparatus for moving patients who are totally disabled. Other systems involving sling arrangements have also been used. The patient must be first placed in the sling and then the sling is moved by means of overhead apparatus in order to transfer the patient. Slings are cumbersome and are not easy to use. Also, slings can cause abrasions.
Some prior devices are quite expensive, complicated to use, and potentially frightening to geriatric patients. For example, a prior device known as the "Ambulator" involves a complex system of hand grips, shoulder supports, electrically operated hydraulics and attachments that must be added to allow bed and commode transfers. Trying to fit confused geriatric patients into the frame would be very challenging and very frightening to the patient. The operator has to stand behind the patient and operate electric switches to control and operate the device. Someone who has never operated the device would be intimidated by it. They would require considerable instruction and practice to operate it safely.
The Hydraulic Patient Lifter (Preston/Bissell) is essentially a metal boom on wheels. A spreader bar and chains hang from the top of the boom and attach to a canvas sling. The sling must be placed under the patient and then the chains are attached. If the chains are not attached properly in terms of length and sequence, the patient can be pitched from the sling. Geriatric patients who find themselves swinging and suspended from the end of the metal boom are easily frightened. Each patient must have their own sling. If the patient is placed on a commode the sling must remain under the patient and is easily soiled. The operator must be very skilled in using the lift or the patient can be pinched by the chains, pitched out of the sling, or struck in the head or face by the metal spreader bar. In addition, if the operator is unfamiliar with the hydraulics, the patient can be suddenly "dropped". Many care givers avoid using the device because of its time consuming complexity.
There has not heretofore been provided a patient transfer device for easily and efficiently transferring a dependent patient from one support to another support.